Meerkat Mayhem is the latest from longtime collaborators Mem Fox and Judy Horacek. It is in the tradition of ‘chain tales’, like The Gigantic Turnip, which has appeared in myriad forms since the 1800s. Variants of the story, such as Grimm’s The Turnip, see a turnip (or other object) grow too large to be picked. One family member is joined by another, then another, to eventually pull the turnip out of the ground, with humorous effect. This time, it is not a turnip, but a full-bellied Meerkat who finds himself stuck when emerging from his burrow.

Meerkat is assisted by various animals who pull and pull and pull, but can’t extract their friend. When the chain reaches 5 animals pulling and pulling and pulling, Meerkat is released with a pop. Unfortunately freedom only makes him hungry again!

This spin on the classic tale will be appealing for read alongs with very young children who could enjoy acting out the animal fun. Horacek’s illustrations are bright and uncluttered. Text and illustrations work together complying to the Picture Book 101 rules of building tension towards page turns. In addition to lively repetition, the language includes some modern tweaks (“Mother of all Meerkats!” he said) which are likely to gain traction on the reading mat. Lots of fun to be had, but probably not a ‘classic’ like other books by these prolific creators.

 Puffin Books  2024

Mem Fox

Judy Horacek

Lara Cain Gray is the author of the recently published The Grown-Ups Guide to Picture Books.